New Beginnings
by peachykeith
Summary: Detective Ayala Shandar finds herself working with the vigilante her boss wants behind bars. Together they both fight the crime and corruption in Gotham, but what happens when her feelings start to change towards the Dark Knight? BRUCE WAYNE X OC STORY.
1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:** This story is inspired by different Batman universes, including the Arkhamverse, DCUO, etc. It does not take place in a specific universe, but this does take place towards a the beginning of Batman's career.

This is also a **Batman X OC** story! If you do not like OC pairings, then don't read. This is my first fanfiction that I've posted. I do appreciate reviews and such. I've written so many Batman stories when I was younger, but I've never shared them.

Anyways, thank you for reading my story! I hope that you all enjoy it.

 **Warnings:** There will be violence, vulgar swearing, and suggestive content throughout the entire story. You have been warned.

"Bullock! Shandar! In my office, now!" I groan as I remove my 3rd cup of coffee from my lips as the Commissioner's voice echoed throughout the station. I stood, rubbing my temples and began to walk down the hall to his office.

I open the door to see my partner, Harvey Bullock, already standing in front of Gordon. He had a toothpick in his mouth, and chewed it occasionally as his eyes narrowed at me. Though we were partners, we didn't have the best relationship.

"Listen, there was two more murders, down at the East End. In the old Soder Cola factory." Gordon slides over a few papers, most likely the victim reports and such. Harvey grabs them, eyeing them suspiciously.

A string of murders has been happening lately for the past few months all over Gotham. Victims were reported with surgical scars, were found in shock, or in some state of terror, but we haven't been able to track down the killer.

"I'm tellin' ya, Gordon: it's that Bat-Freak. What else leaves scratches like that?" Bullock says, pointing to a picture of the various scars victims received.

There's also been a new vigilante of the sort in Gotham: some man dressed as a bat going around knocking criminals out left and right. Street crime has dropped a significant amount since the appearance of him, though Gordon disagrees with me.

"Whoever it is, they need to be in cuffs before someone else gets killed. Now go." He waves us off and runs a hand through his hair, sighing deeply.

I close the door behind me and look to Harvey. He spit out the toothpick into a nearby trash. "We better get goin' before he gets pissed." I nod.

I swung by my locker and grab my radio and then head to the front to meet Harvey sitting in our car. I get in and he huffs. I could see the dark gray sky looming over us, giving me a slight feeling of dread as he speeds of to the crime scene.

"Would you like more tea, Master Bruce?" Alfred's voice chimes, snapping Bruce out of his trance. He sat in front of the Batcomputer, eyes scanning over a map of Gotham City.

"Maybe later. There's been two other murders matching the same M.O as the previous killer. I'm heading there to investigate." The man stood, body slightly aching from several different run-ins.

He had been investigating the murders for a number of weeks now, with evidence all pointing to a new villain in Gotham. He has sampled each victim's DNA all finding traces of one thing: fear toxin.

"No doubt the killer injected the victims with another dose of that toxin," he says, grabbing his utility belt from a nearby table. He straps it around his waist, then pulls his cowl over his face.

"Yes, but do be careful, sir." Alfred says, watching him as he climbed into the Batmobile. The engine revs loudly, echoing throughout the entire cave.

"Aren't I always?"

Harvey and I arrive at the factory. It wasn't much of a sight with the worn down material and trashed property. I look around, then sigh.

"Hopefully the son of a bitch leaves clues behind this time," I mutter as we approach it. Harvey half-heartedly chuckles, and gestures his hand towards the door.

"Ladies first." I roll my eyes and open the door. The smell.. The air... Just awful. I stumbled around the semi-lit warehouse, looking for some type of clue. Bullock pulls his shirt over his nose.

"Goddamn, the hell happened to this place?" He says, coughing. I take out my gun and began walking further into the warehouse. "We should split up, look for clues, then get the hell out of here." I say to him. He nods and begins walking in the opposite direction.

I walked down towards some old machines, finding pieces of tattered clothing and broken glass. The fabric had droplets of blood speckled all over it, and I bent down and put a few pieces in my sample bag.

Then I turn again, hoping I wouldn't get lost; there seemed to be several different directions I could go in. Something about this place sent chills up my spine. The lights flickered continuously and I could hear faint noises but I couldn't identify them.

I immediately regret the decision of splitting up as the darkness seemed to consume my vision. My vision... it was getting blurred, though I could make out silhouettes of what seemed to be monsters surrounding me angrily.

My head felt as if it was 1000 degrees, but my bones felt as if they were rattling. My eyes dart back and forth, searching for some way to escape. "B-B-Bullock!" I choke out as the smoke and gas consumed my throat. I trudge back towards the way he walked, trying to keep my balance.

Suddenly, my foot hits something hard, and I look down to see Harvey's lifeless body laying on the concrete. My heart races as I felt myself getting dizzy. I stumble back and forth and eventually pass out on the cold hard ground.

There was only one thing on my mind: terror. The dark silhouettes loomed over me, and I shriek as the got closer, and closer to me. I braved myself some sort of impact, but nothing came.

I squint open my eyes, my vision going dark. A clad figure stood over me and put something on my mouth, but I blacked out immediately after.


	2. Chapter Two

I slowly open my eyes, being greeted by a bright light directly in my face. I felt like I had the worst migraine ever. I open my eyes, using my arm to shield the brightness.

But I felt like there was something attached to my arm, and I look and find an IV in my vein. That was when I started to notice my surroundings. I definitely wasn't at the station.

I appeared to be in a cave, but where? I swung my legs over the medical table I was lying on. All I remembered from being in the warehouse was splitting up with Bullock... The rest seemed to be a blur.

I carefully remove the IV from my arm, then I stood a bit abruptly, causing my vision to go a bit dark and my head feeling so much pressure at once. "Ugh." I groan and sit back down. I needed to know where I was, but my body felt like I was hit by a truck.

I look around and see a very advanced looking computer, surrounded by different pieces of equipment. The screen showed a layout of Gotham City, showing the different waypoints and all.

Suddenly, I hear an engine rev loudly, echoing throughout the entire cave. The screeching of bats followed after. A car sped onto the platform, and dark figure exiting swiftly. My body becomes stiff as the figure started to walk toward me.

It walked into the light, and I couldn't believe it. The Batman. Right in front of me. He didn't look like I thought he would. Everyone described him as some sort of creature. I couldn't help but stare, I didn't know what to think.

"Try not to stand up right away. You almost didn't make it out of there alive." He says, breaking the silence. A bit late on that one... I thought.

"What exactly happened? And where is Bullock?" I ask, pulling a piece of my frizzy hair behind my ear.

"You and Bullock were poisoned by fear toxin. Bullock fled, but you were farther in the factory," he explains. I grit my teeth. That son of a bitch. When I get back to the station he'll really get an earful.

"Gordon is probably pissed. We lost him again." I huff, slightly annoyed. We most likely won't find another clue until another victim is taken, and I definitely wanted payback.

Batman turns and grabs something off what looked to be a forensics table. It was a small test tube, filled with a greenish looking substance. It looked gross, honestly, but I assumed it had something to do with the warehouse.

"This is the fear toxin that was used. It's a more concentrated version than the last one used, meaning more deadly. Whoever is behind this, knows how to cover their tracks." He continued. I sigh, wondering how we were ever going to catch who was behind this.

Then, it hit me. "My sample bag," I say, earning a curious look from the vigilante. I stand up, wincing slightly as I look for my belongings. They were a few feet away from me, and I walk over and search my purse until I pull out the small plastic bag.

The small pieces of tattered clothing covered in drips of blood were still there. "I collected these from the warehouse," I say, walking over to him. He takes the bag and studies it carefully, then walks over the the forensics table.

I walk over as he takes a DNA sample from a piece of fabric. I knew at the GCPD we had pretty good tech, but as I looked at the different gadgets he had laying out, I couldn't help but be impressed.

After a few seconds of waiting, the screen on the computer shows up with the results. "Jonathan Crane?" We both look at the photo of the man. He looked scruffy, like he had drank 10 cups of coffee with no sleep at all. But something about him just made him look like a killer.

"He wasn't one of the victims." I state, looking towards the hooded firgure. "Then it looks like we found our killer." He says, going back to the lab table.

"Question is, how do we find him?" I ask, Crossing my arms. He takes another look under the microscope, studying it carefully. I look at him, remembering how Gordon would be pissed if he knew I was helping the Batman.

"He isn't doing any good for this city. He's just as bad as those scum they throw in Blackgate." I recall him saying. But did "scum" hunt down murderers and stop street crime? I knew Gordon had a good heart, but sometimes I could never understand the man.

"There's traces of human waste and sewage on these samples, all pointing to the sewers. Another reason why he seems so to resurface and disappear off the radar." He says after taking a good look at the samples.

"He's got to be somewhere in the East End. He couldn't have gotten far."

"Ok, let's go." I say, grabbing my bag. He turns to me, "You're going back to the GCPD. I work alone." He spoke in a low, yet... somewhat scary tone. It sent a chill up my spine. Now I knew why all the cops were scared shitless of him.

I glare at him. "Seriously? I just helped you solve this mystery, I'm coming along on this wild goose chase ." I say, crossing my arms. I knew I wasn't the most intimidating, but people have always told me my bark was worse than my bite.

He looks at me for a moment, but I didn't know if he was going to snap at me or not. He then turns to walk towards the car. "Let's go." He says, seconds before he seated himself in the driver's seat.

I smirk a bit, then hop into the passenger seat. The car seemed so next-generation with the different buttons and gadgets. He began to speed out of the cave, slightly worrying me that we were going to crash.

We arrived behind the GCPD building in the East End, and I raise a brow. "I thought we weren't going back to the GCPD?" I ask as we exit the car. "There's an entrance to the sewers on the North side of the building." He responds, taking out some communicator and placing it in his ear. "Oh," I nod, feeling slightly embarrassed. Did every GCPD building have a sewer entrance? I wouldn't know.

He began walking towards the building, and I followed along, running my hand across my belt to reassure myself. After managing to avoid cops patrolling the area, we found the entrance, surprisingly unguarded by any men. We both swiftly move, not wanting to gather any unwanted attention. Batman lifted the manhole cover and gestured for me to climb inside, I slip in, afraid my not exactly skinny frame wouldn't fit, but I had no problems.

Immediately, the stench hit me. I scrunch my nose, covering it with my hand. It was unbearable, with a mix of waste and groggy water. Batman climbed down, and looked around the area, seemingly scanning it as I heard a buzz noise come from his cowl. He pulls what looks to be two gas masks from his utility belt, handing one to me. "There's fear toxin particles in here. That means we're close."

I put on the mask, thankful I didn't have to breathe in the sewage. We both walked towards a tunnel, trudging through the slippery ground covered in muck. It was silent, and I honestly was glad. I had no idea what to say. Should I ask him something? I might as well make conversation while we're in this situation. "So, how long have you been on this investigation?" My voice slightly echoes, bouncing against the stone walls.

"Ever since the the third victim was killed. I've tried ambushing the killer before, but I was poisoned with the fear toxin," he says. "I took samples and it looked like with each the victim the dose was stronger." The thought of being poisoned made my stomach drop. I nearly died from it, and it wasn't something I ever wanted to experience ever again. "Hmm."

It was silent again, as we walked further down the tunnel. Occassionaly we would see corpses of dead rats and bones, but I couldn't tell if they were human or not. Even after being a detective for 2 years, things like that still plagued my memories. Death. I've seen so much of it. Too much of it. It was just an endless cycle in this city, and I knew what I was signing up for.

As I was deep in thought, a loud roar shakes me out. It seemed like it belonged to a dinosaur, echoing throughout my ears. Batman stops dead in his tracks, shifting into a fighting stance. I pull out my gun as thumping footsteps stomped towards us. What came out of the corner was... a giant crocodile creature? "What the hell is-" I was cut off by another load roar, it's eyes bulging angrily at us.

"Batman! I could smell your scent all the way from down here..." It chuckles lowly. "Croc." Batman mutters. "Looks like it's dinner time!" It shouts, beginning to charge towards us. Batman grabs me and grapples onto a wooden platform above us, though it didn't feel too sturdy. Because of it's mass, the creature couldn't stop itself from charging straight into the stone wall. "What the hell is that thing?!" I whisper-shout. "Killer Croc." He says with a grimace on his face. Giant crocodiles were the last thing I thought I would see in my career. I aim my gun towards it, but Batman takes his hand and eases it down.

"Don't waste any bullets, they'll just deflect off his skin. We need a plan." He says. We both look around to see if there was anything we could potentially use before it charged for us again. I looked at the creature, which seemed to have some sort of metal collar around his neck.

"Does he belong to somebody or something?" I ask, gesturing towards the collar. Batman looks, studying the collar. "That seems to be the shock collar they used for him at Blackgate... I have an idea."

He pulls out a bat-a-rang from his utility belt, sparks flickering around it. I watched him curiously. "I need a distraction." He says, earning an eye roll from me.

"Fine, what do you want me to do?" He explains the plan to me quickly, and I nod, jumping down the platform. I grunt, and look up to see the creature slowly getting up, chains around it's legs and wrists clanking with each movement.

"Over here, Croc!" I mock, waving my hands and body around. He looks up at me, pure desire in his face. I gulp, hoping that this plan didn't cost me my life. He gets up, and chuckles evilly.

"You made a mistake, doll," I sprinted away as he charged towards me, avoiding slipping across the sewer. As he passes under Batman, the Dark Knight jumps on his back. "Get off o' me!" He grunts loudly, trying to reach his massive arms over his neck.

Batman takes out the electric batarang and sticks it into an open socket in his collar. "Ahhhhh!" Croc yells as the collar electricutes him. After a few moments of sparks flying, he eventually passes out into the water, breathing heavily then slowly.

I walk over to the body with Batman. "Is he?" I point. Batman shakes his head. "I don't run that way." He says, walking past me. I cock my head a bit, then look at the creature's body.

I continued following the caped man, several different thoughts popping into me head. Gordon wanted him arrested, here he was right in front of me. I saw the good in him, something Gordon refuses to believe. After this was over with, I'm going to change his mind.


	3. Chapter Three

After what seemed like hours of trudging through disgusting sewer water, Batman's cowl began beeping. Seemed like he was scanning the area, as he slowly turned his head to get a full view of it.

"The toxicity level of the air in here is ridiculous, I think we are getting close." He states, that being one of the only sentences he's spoken since our run-in with Killer Croc. I had to admit though, this reassured me a lot as I was beginning to wonder if we were going to get anywhere at all.

We walked another few minutes before I could hear a faint voice echo through the tunnels. Crouching down, we silently inch towards the noise, around another corner. I take my gun out and stand behind Batman. I look towards him and he nods towards the entrance. I nod back, readying myself.

We both jump out, being greeted by a skinny man hovered over a lab table. He turned to us, his face was a look of pure evil. His mouth was turned upward into a wicked smile, his small eyes looking at us. "Well, well, looks like the Batman has finally found me..." he chuckles.

I aim my gun at him, narrowing my dark eyes at him. "It's over, you're going to Blackgate where you belong." I say. He simply laughs, and Batman inches a bit closer towards him.

"Fools! It's just getting started!" He quickly pulls something out of his breast pocket and throws it to the ground, causing an all too familiar gas to fill the room. Batman runs after him, though is met with smoke when he grabs him. Dr. Crane's maniacal laugh bounced around the room. I cough as I look all around me. Suddenly, these creatures formed from the ground, screeching at me. They looked as if they were from a living nightmare.

I shoot one, the bullet passing through the form and it slowly disintegrating into the ground. More and more popped up, luckily Batman was doing a pretty good job at taking them out. Crane growled, screaming in pain as we took out more and more of his forms. He eventually popped up, and reached to grab another dose of fear toxin when Batman swiftly punched the side of his face, causing him to be knocked hard to the ground.

I wipe some sweat off of my forehead, breathing heavily through my mask. Batman ties Crane up, then goes to take a look at the lab table. Various knives, torture instruments, needles, and vials of fear toxin littered the table, causing me to cringe. They seemed like they had just been used, as dark blood coated the metals.

"When the police get here they can come confiscate all of this, but I will take a few samples back." He says to me. I nod, rubbing my eyes a bit. "Though I have to say, I'm impressed with you, Detective." He adds. I widen my eyes a bit, genuinely surprised that came out of his mouth.

"Oh really? Well, I could say the same. Though Commissioner Gordon would like to disagree." I say, putting a piece of hair behind my ear.

"Gordon will come around. He doesn't understand how dangerous these new criminals are." He replies. He puts a few samples of Crane's experiments into a bag in his belt, then looked around. "There's an exit just over here," he points towards a ladder leading into the city. Thank god, I needed a shower after this.

Batman and I climb out of the sewer, and I pull off my gas mask and take a deep breath. The fresh air made me feel so much better, after being down there for God knows how long. We make our way back to the Batmobile, and I grab my bag I left behind.

He climbs into the driver's seat, starting the car. "By the way, thanks for saving my life and everything." I say, a bit disappointed that this would probably be our last encounter. He looks towards me, and though it was dark I could see that he wasn't smiling, nor had the usual grimace on his face. It was hard to detect what he was thinking at that moment.

"It's not a problem, Detective." He says. With that, he speeds off into the night. I stood there and watched as the car disappears, hoping this wouldn't be our last meeting. I thought we made a great team.

I step out of my steamy shower, wrapping my hair with a towel. The smell from my body wash lingered on my skin; the faint smell of coconut. As I dry myself off and change into a simple tank and shorts, I walk out into the living room of my apartment.

I find the remote for my TV and turn it on, the news channel appearing on the screen. A picture of Crane's mugshot and the words "The 'Scarecrow' Found After 16 Counts Of Murder" written in all caps. So they're calling him the Scarecrow? Funny, he sort of did look like one, with his small, nimble frame and straw-like hair.

After Batman and I had escaped the sewers, I notified the GCPD that the killer was found. Gordon and Bullock arrived at the scene, and a few cops grabbed Crane and stuffed him into the police car.

 _"Detective, I can't believe you solved this case!"_ Gordon praised me as some scientists collected Crane's experiments. Harvey nods, grinning at me until I glare at him.

I didn't want to snap at him just yet, not when Gordon's around. I've already gotten called up more than once for "attitude problems".

I sigh, and yawn. Sleep was what I needed right now. I turn the TV off and walk to my bedroom, collapsing on the bed before fading into sleep.

The next morning, I woke up with a slight headache. I did not feel like going to work today at all. I walk into my bathroom and start getting ready, fixing my dark hair into a ponytail. I dress in my usual uniform: black pants with a jacket and undershirt. I stick my badge on my chest, and take one good look before heading out.

Suddenly, my phone rings across the room. I walk over and see the caller ID: Gordon. I answer, "Hello?"

"Ayala, it's Gordon. You heading to the station right now?" He asks.

"Yes, what's up?"

"It's crazy over here. A bunch of junkies are OD'ing on some new street drug. These guys are massive; veins popping out and everything." He explains. I could tell it was busy, the background was filled with various phones ringing and many different voices.

"Alright, I'm on my way. Bullock there yet?"

"No, but he said he needs a ride. Apparently his car broke down last night. You mind swinging by his place and getting him?" I roll my eyes, but I agree nonetheless.

"Sure."

"Thanks, Ayala. Really appreciate it." He hung up, and I dial Harvey's number. He seemed half asleep, his voice groggily telling me his address.

I head out and after about 15 minutes arrive at Bullock's driveway. He walks out, his tie looking like a three year old tied it. He was a mess.

He climbed in the car. "Thanks, I owe you one," He says and buckled in.

"You actually owe me more than that. What the hell happened to you, you look like you walked through a hurricane." I say, backing out.

"I ain't got no sleep, my wife didn't get off until 3 so I was stuck on the side of the road all night," He says. I hum, not really caring too much.

"And uhh.. about what happened at the warehouse," he says. I raise a brow, ushering for him to go on.

"It wasn't anything personal, I swear. I got spooked and dashed. Though you look like you made it out ok." He says. I huff, "To make it up to me, you're buying me coffee at the station for quite a bit. Got it?" He nods. "Yes ma'am," I continue the drive to the GCPD, seriously regretting not telling Gordon I was sick.

Bruce sat in the Batcave, typing away at the computer. He was currently writing down the results of the samples he collected from Scarecrow. He heard the tap of Alfred's footsteps entering the cave, but he did not turn.

"Have you checked the news recently, Master Bruce?" He inquires, setting down a tray with a steaming cup of tea. Bruce turns to face him, "No, why?"

"There seems to be some new drug out in the streets. It gives the user immense strength and there have been many overdoses." The butler explains, dumping a bit of sugar into the tea and stirring it.

Bruce turns to the Batcomputer again, and sure enough it was true. 13 victims overdosed, all connected to one thing; Venom. Bruce scowls. Bane was back. Which meant he brought lots of Venom with him.

"It's Venom. Bane's back in town." Alfred's face drops, remembering the last time Bruce encountered the man, nearly breaking his spine in the process. "And you're going now?" He asks, setting the cup of tea down in front of him.

Bruce stood up, adjusting his cape around his neck. "The sooner I stop Bane the better." He replies, picking up the cup of tea, taking a small sip.

Alfred sighs, bowing his head a bit. "I will prepare the Batwing for you." Bruce put a hand on his shoulder, a faint smile on his lips, but it quickly faded.

"I know you worry Alfred. But you need to trust me. And someone has to stop him, the GCPD won't be able to." He says. Alfred nods, sighing softly. "You're right, my apologies." He says, turning to prepare the Batwing.


	4. Chapter Four

Droplets of rain began to spot the windows as we drove through the streets. The tires drive over a puddle of water, causing them to splash violently across the sidewalk; luckily no one was walking there.

Gotham's usual gloomy weather seemed never ending. Though if you woke up early enough the sky was a faint pink and orange tint to it, covered in light clouds with the sun peeking out. Though mornings like that were only on occasion.

"Take a right then another left, then we should be there," Bullock says, reading off of the navigations Gordon gave us. I turn right, and there was an elementary school. Kids pile out, going their separate ways, getting picked up by parents, or loading onto the busses.

I wave at a few allowing them to cross as they scurry across the street in their little bright-colored book bags, then turn into a small neighborhood further down. I look around, it did look pretty sketchy. A black truck was parked on the side of a small gas station, along with 6 men dressed in dark outfits.

"Those guys are huge," Harvey states. "Do you think we'll be able to take them?" He asked me a moment after. I look at him, a small smirk on my lips. "Did I just hear Harvey Bullock admit that he was afraid?" I tease, him rolling his eyes, muttering. I glance over towards the men. They definitely weren't tiny, and we were outnumbered by 4.

Their muscles seemed like they were popping out of their bodies, like something off some bodybuilding show. God knows why someone would put stuff like that in their bodies. To look better? Be stronger?

As I was about to open the door, we heard screaming. Harvey and I look up, and see Batman brawling with the men. "Where the hell did he come from?!" Harvey exclaims, practically jumping out of the vehicle, joining the fight.

Batman must have tracked down the same Venom shipments as Gordon, beating us to it by mere seconds. Next time, less talk and more fighting for me. I get out of the car, quickly pulling out my gun as I approach the fight.

Batman had already taken out 3 goons, and was currently fighting off another one. One of the men went after Harvey, and another went to load the Venom shipment back into their truck. I run after him, as he put one of the cases into the truck.

He turned to me, smirking as he pulled what looked like a syringe from his jacket pocket, filled with a bright green substance. I aim my gun at his shoulder and shoot, the goon dropping the syringe and shouting in pain. That was a close one.

He drops to the ground, holding his shoulder gritting his teeth at me. I take out my cuffs and go to put them on his wrists. I look to Harvey, who used his gun to punch the other man to the ground.

He looks around to see Batman standing a few feet away, holding his shoulder. He glares and aims his gun at him. "Don't move, Bat-Freak!" He yells. I widen my eyes and rush over to him. Batman froze, looking at us.

"Harvey, stop!" I say, earning a bewildering look from him. "The hell are you talking about Ayala? You still defending this freak?"

"Didn't you just see him take out **half** the goons before we did?! He's on our side, Bullock, seriously!" I state. He looks at me for a second, then back at Batman.

"Sayonara, Bats," He says, repositioning his gun. I rush over and what seemed like milliseconds before the bullet fired, I pushed the gun out of the way, the bullet skidding against Batman's suit, tearing it along with his skin. Luckily, it didn't seem like it went through him.

"What the fuck, Shandar!?" Harvey yells as Batman grapples to another building, seemingly out of sight. "I'm not going to let you stand by and shoot someone who is innocent!" I tell him. We both glare at each other. I never noticed how grey his eyes actually were until then.

After we bagged up the shipments of Venom, the ride back to the station was a living hell. I ignored his attitude, though when we pulled into the station, my heart dropped a bit. I knew that I was risking my job standing up for him, but could Gordon really fire me? I don't want to sound too cocky, but I am one of the best detectives around here.

So many cops have gone dirty; joining up with mob lords like Falcone or Maroni for more pay. Bullock and I are the best he's got, and in times like this, he will need us more than ever.

It was very busy, packed with people. We weezled our way through the narrow halls and to the Commissioner's office, where his daughter Barbara stood in front of him. Even though the door was closed, we could still hear the muffled voices of them arguing through the door.

The teen stormed out, her face red with frustration. Gordon had his fingers pinched on the bridge of his nose as he leaned against the desk, taking in a deep breath. "Teenagers.." I hear him mutter as we walk in. I saw her quite often at the station; after school she would come and hang around before leaving with the Commissioner. I don't know how she wouldn't be bored out of her mind sitting here all day, but Barbara would usually just sit on her laptop doing whatever in Gordon's office.

"Good, you're back. Any luck?" He asks. I nod, "We dropped off the shipments of Venom to the Lab already. All of the suspects were arrested as well." Gordon stood straight, looking relieved. You could tell the stress had gotten to him, very faint wrinkles lined his face, as well as his hair shifting into a slightly grey-brown.

"Good work. Any sign of Batman while you were out?" Shit. I glance towards Harvey, who simply shook his head. I was surprised, he actually covered for me? I thought he would start bitching to Gordon the second we walked in. But I know he wouldn't do just for the sake of me. But our relationship was strictly professional, simply platonic.

"Damn. Guess one victory is good though." Gordon shakes his head, then goes behind his desk and falls onto his chair. "I don't really have any other work for you, since I already have my guys on them. I guess you both can take the rest of the day off. You've earned it."

I couldn't help but smile, a sigh of relief coming from my lips. "Thanks, Commissioner," I say, as we exit the office. Harvey was about to turn the opposite way when I grab him by the arm.

"Hey- oh, what do you want?" He says, crossing his arms. "Why did you cover for me?" I ask.

"I told you I owed you one, didn't I? I'll let it slide, but next time, he's going down. I mean it, Shandar." He says in a hushed tone. With that, he huffs off, leaving me in the middle of the busy building.

I open my apartment, and immediately changed out of my uniform. I was glad and surprised Gordon actually let us go home early. Beats cataloguing criminal records and such. I sat on my couch, flipping through channels. That's what I mostly did for the next few hours, when suddenly I heard a loud thump come from my balcony. I pause, deciding whether or not I should check it out.

A bit of laziness was overcoming me, so I shrugged it off and returned to the TV. I put on the Food Network, resting my head on my arm. Then, came a knock. I turn to face my window, when I saw.. Batman? I jumped a bit, his dark figure scaring me at first. I stared a bit, then remembered that he was standing out there for a reason. I got up, and opened the door.

"Mind if I come in for a second?" He asks me. I nod, "Umm.. yes, come in," I open the door slightly wider and gesture for him to enter. He stood in my living room, looking at the TV then back at me.

"So, what are you doing here? And how do you know where I live?" I ask, my surprise distracting me from the fact that he found my address without me telling him.

"I just wanted you to know that I appreciate what you did, but you shouldn't have risked your job like that." He says, lowly.

"It's fine, really. Gordon doesn't know a thing." I reply.

He hums. "Though if it isn't too much to ask, I could use someone like you who has access to the GCPD. I need you to transfer all of the data collected from the Venom samples into this USB." He took out a small chip from his pocket. Oh yeah, he never did get the Venom from the shipments because of Harvey.

I tilt my head. The Batman was actually asking for my help? Seems like I'm living in some fantasy; Bullock covered for me, I got the rest of the day off, and now some caped hero is asking for my help.

I nod. "You got yourself a deal."

"Good, we set out now." I put my hands on my hips, "We set out _tomorrow."_ He gives me a curious look, then his lips form into a firm line.

"Now is the best time, waiting until morning would make it more difficult to infiltrate the building." I sigh, shaking my head. "Fine, just let me change."

I went to my room, and changed into some simple black leggings and red shirt. I walk into the living room, giggling at the sight of Batman awkwardly standing there.

"Here's the USB." He walks over to me, placing it in my hands. I press it to my palm, and then put it in my front pocket.

"I'll meet you there. Take this and keep me updated." He then hands me another chip-like thingy, and I take it and attack it to my ear. "Got it."

I turn to grab my purse off the kitchen counter, then back to where Batman was standing. But he vanished. How did he leave so quickly? I didn't even hear him walk out of the door. I then heard the sound of a large jet above the roof, it speeding off into the sky.

I arrive to the station, touching my communicator. "You there?" I say, walking through the doors. "Yes. Are you at the station yet?"

"Yes, and-"

"Ayala? What are you doing back here?" I was cut off by the Commissioner's voice. I turn to see him standing there behind me, gripping a stack of papers in his hand.

"Oh, I was just.. I forgot something in my locker." I quickly babble out.

"Oh, I see. Well I'll let you to it then, I've got paperwork to do." He says, heading into his office. Good, he won't catch me snooping around through the building.

"Detective?" I hear Batman say. I almost forgot he was there, his deep voice surprising me. "Sorry, had a run-in with Gordon."

He doesn't reply, and I walk through the different halls in the station. The data would most likely be in the main computer room, and to my luck the tech guys left already. I type in the password to the computer, and looked through the files that had been saved on there from previous criminals. Though there was nothing about Venom in here.

"That's weird, it would usually be there." I mumble, and looked again thoroughly. I heard the door swing open, and I turn quickly to see Barbara. She looks at me a bit awkwardly, then walks over to the other side of the room to a book bag. I didn't notice it had been left here.

"Sorry, don't mind me. This is where I usually hang out," she says. "You're good," I reply. I return to the computer, sighing as I continue to search. Barbara had pulled out her laptop, typing away on her keyboard. She glances up at me.

"You looking for anything? I go on these computers when I'm bored, so I know where everything is," she says, standing. The teen walks over to me, looking at the screen. I wonder whether I should tell her about the investigations or not, but she probably heard anyway.

"Actually, I'm looking for the data that the scientists took from the Venom samples."

"Oh, those are still down at the Lab. The results still haven't come back, they're still trying to figure out what that stuff exactly is." She explains. Damn, I'm gonna have to head further into the station: and I didn't want to be here longer than I had to.

"Thank you." I say to her, and began walk out. "Change of plans, I'm gonna have to take a sample from the lab." I walk into another hallway, and spot the lab door. I go in, poking my head around to see if anyone was there. I see one of the scientists, Mary, at her desk scribbling in a journal.

We've had a few conversations, and from what I can tell she was very dedicated to her work. She didn't seem to be paying any attention to her surroundings, as she was facing her back towards me, and I quietly tip toe towards the lab table. I scan it, searching for the samples. They weren't there. I look at another table a few feet away from me, and spot the infamous green substance.

I reach over and grab a small vial filled with Venom, stuffing it in my shirt pocket quickly. I turn and almost dashed out when I heard Mary's voice behind me. "Detective Ayala? What are you doing here?" She yawns a bit, brushing her blonde strands away from her face.

"I just had to, um, check on each section of the building for Gordon. You know, perimeter check." The woman nods, and smiles. "Oh, ok. See you around." I was glad she took the answer and I walk out, slightly speeding up my pace.

"I have it. I'm going outside now." I speak low into my communicator.

"I'll be around the corner." Batman replies. I walk out of the station, and walk towards the end of the street. I looked into an alleyway, when Batman's tall figure suddenly stood in front of me.

"Jesus," I say. I pull out the vial from my pocket, handing it to him. "Here you go."

"Thanks. Good work." I nod. "No problem. Hopefully we can stop it from getting further into the streets." I say.

Batman places the vial in his utility belt, which seemed to hold everything he needed. He then pulled out this strange device with the symbol of a black bat on it. He handed it to me, and I hesitated before grabbing it.

"If you ever need help, press it." He says firmly. "Gordon doesn't realize his men don't have a chance against Venom users." He turns, and grapples to the building we stood by, disappearing into the dark.

I then take another look at the device, putting it in my pocket securely before I went back to my apartment for the rest of the night.


End file.
